"It's not until you see these photos of the Melbourne Cup, Australia's most drunken and depraved horse racing event, that you can really understand just how out of hand [they] can get," author Bill Haisley wrote.

"Following the proud British tradition of getting equal parts dolled and f****d up at horse races — it is a perfect event for young and old alike to don their finest of outfits and guzzle copious amounts of alcohol. The entire state of Victoria even gets the day off from work, since Melbourne Cup day has been decreed an official local holiday.

"There is a lot of booze. There is a lot of littering. There is a lot of smiling. There is, for whatever reason, a whole lot of falling/lying on the ground. All of these factors combined create opportunities for some marvellous photography."